MITT ON IRAN....

MITT ON IRAN. And here is Mitt Romney on how to handle Iran, in remarks at the Herzliya conference in Israel, where he was the only one of the five American presidential contenders to deliver his speech in person:

First, we must continue tighten economic sanctions. Our model should be at least as severe to the sanctions imposed on Apartheid South Africa. We should demand no less from the international community today ...

Second, we must impose diplomatic isolation of Iran's Government. Ahmadinejad should not be provided the trappings, respect, and recognition of a responsible head of state as he travels....He should neither be invited to foreign capitals nor feted by foreign leaders....

Diplomatic isolation should also include an indictment of Ahmadinejad for incitement to genocide under the Genocide Convention. The United States should lead this effort...

Third, Arab states must join this effort to prevent a nuclear Iran. These states can do much more than wring their hands and urge America to act. They should support Iraq's nascent government, They can help America focus on Iran by quickly turning down the temperature of the Arab-Israeli conflict - stopping the financial and weapons flows to Hamas and Hizbullah ... thawing relations with Israel ... and telling the Palestinians they must drop terrorism and recognize Israel's right to exist.

Fourth, we must make it clear that while nuclearization may be a source of pride, it can also be a source of peril. The military option remains on the table.....

Fifth, our strategy should be integrated into a broader approach to the broader Muslim world. I agree with our friend, former Prime Minister Aznar of Spain, that a central purpose of NATO should be to defeat radical Islam. I believe this has two critical dimensions. The first is an unquestionably capable military. This will mean a greater investment by the United States as well as other nations. The second is a global partnership which includes NATO and other allies. Its mission would be to support progressive Muslim communities and leaders in every nation where radical Islam is battling modernity and moderation. This Partnership for Prosperity should help provide the tools and funding necessary for moderates to win the debate in their own societies....

And on Iraq, I would just like to make another point. Some Congressional leaders in the United States today are arguing that the President is not authorized to allow our forces to pursue Iranian elements inside Iraq - which are attacking our own troops. That would be folly.

Again, this is what a real Iran hawk looks like. Romney believes the President already has the authority to engage in military attacks on Iranians, as long as they are over the border in Iraq, and wants complete diplomatic isolation of the Iranian leader, along with economic sanctions and an indictment of the Iranian leader for crimes against humanity. He openly talks of military intervention against Iran and the necessity of greater U.S. military involvement in the war on terror. And he has a very unrealistic vision of what America's Arab allies are capable of or likely to do to aid the U..S. A Boston Globe article on Romney's speech reported that this is going to be the ground that Republicans fight from in 2008:

Richard Perle, former head of the Pentagon's Defense Policy Board and a vocal advocate for military action to stop Iran from acquiring a nuclear weapon, said voters should expect to hear a lot of hawkish foreign policy speeches from presidential contenders.

"They'll all sound like Romney," said Perle, now at the American Enterprise Institute. "They'll all talk tough about Iran."

It is against this backdrop that the Democrats are trying to stake out their positions.

UPDATE: Romney did not excerpt this part of his Herzliya speech on his website, but a group called Control Congress transcribed it from a video excerpt provided by Romney's campaign. Romney also said:

In the current conflict, there�s only one way to lose, and that is if we as a civilization decide not to lift a finger to defend ourselves, our values, and our way of life. It is time for the world to plainly speak three truths:

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Garance Franke-Ruta is a former senior editor at the Prospect. Her work has also appeared in The Washington Post, The Washington Monthly, The New Republic, and The Wall Street Journal, among other publications.